120 faith communities and 189 spiritual leaders in 42 states urge the Trump administration to preserve national monuments

At the conclusion of Native American Heritage Month, 120 faith communities in 37 states and the District of Columbia have pledged to pray for protection of Native American heritage sites and landscapes.

The prayers come at a time when it is reported that the Trump Administration will impose the most significant loss of conservation protections for public lands in U.S. history. On Monday, December 4, President Trump is expected to make an announcement in Utah about the fate of Bears Ears National Monument as well as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Along with the prayers, 189 spiritual leaders from 42 states and the District of Columbia signed a letter to President Trump, noting“during Native American Heritage Month, we call special attention to the fact that every American lives in the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples. The presence of Indigenous peoples is imbued in the lands and waters around us.”

One of the signers of the letter, The Reverend Dr. Bradley Hauff, Missioner for Indigenous Ministries of The Episcopal Church, explained why he signed: “Indigenous people have a relationship with the land that is sacred and central to our way of life. Our culture, spirituality, identity, survival, and understanding of life is centered in the Earth and the Cosmos. If the land is desecrated, so are we."